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Ancient Order of Druids

The Ancient Order of Druids

A man named Hurle, of whom little is known, founded the order as a fraternal society, in London in 1781, similar to the Freemasons. Using the interest in ancient druids and building on the writings of the antiquarians of the time Hurle built  an elaborate legend that traced the origins of the order back to a fictional ‘Togo Dubellinus’, in the first century AD.

The order soon spread and developed a national and provincial organisational structure and hierarchy. 

In 1833, part of the order split off to become a government-registered friendly society, the ‘United Ancient Order of Druids.’ The Ancient Order of Druid continued unregulated, as a purely fraternal society, under its original name.

Both the Ancient Order of Druids and the United Ancient Order of Druids still exist today.

The Ancient Order of Druids Earl Goodwin Lodge (409) met  in Deal during the 19th century and into the early 20th century met at the Eagle Tavern and the Royal Exchange pubs where they also held their annual  dinners.